Sick cat - very worried - please help

opsmgh

Hello. Here's what I know:

Last night (Monday night) one of our cats did not eat her supper. Thought it was weird, but eventually went to bed and otherwise she seeemed normal. This morning, she was not excited when my husband got up to feed her like she usually is, she just kept laying in her "spot" and wouldn't come out. There were two huge areas (I won't say piles b/c it was liquid) of yellow stomach acidy like vomit. She is very lethargic and won't eat or drink.

I took her to the vet immediately. 

He examined her - temp. was 101 (good), felt her abdomen/did a physical exam (good), listened to her chest with a stethoscope (sounded good), looked in her ears with a camera thingy (looked good)... I was a little surprised he didn't do any bloodwork. So he pretty much went by what we told him - lethargy, won't eat/drink, and told him about the vomit. He gave her a shot for nausea and some pills for nausea for me to start giving her tonight - 1/4 tablet of metoclopramide 5mg twice a day.

When we got home from the vet she had urinated all over herself on the ride home. I called the vet back and the lady at the desk (i.e., not the doctor) said she was prob. just scared but if it continued to call them back. I wiped her off with a wet towel and wrapped her up in a dry one to get dry - so now I can tell if it happens again. Initially when we got home she seemed better - it may have been the adrenaline from the trip... but she walked around a little and fluffed/rubbed on my legs, sides of chairs, etc. But eventually she settled on the rug in the bathroom and has not left it since. One time when I was in there I did see her drink some water (yay!) and when I fed my other cat supper a little while ago I offered her some and she did eat a little.... about 1/8 or less of what she usually eats. But she's totally not herself and so lethargic and I'm so worried! The vet basically just said the nausea med would make her feel better and they will call to check on her in a few days.

Oh yeah, she seems to be breathing heavy out of her nose... almost sounds kind of snotty. I did tell the vet that when we were there and that's when he listened to her chest and looked in her ears but everything looked ok. This morning her nose was warm and dry but now it is wet again... but I wouldn't say it's cold like normal.

No vomit since last night and only bathroom activity has been when she peed on herself some time in the carrier on the way home.

I am so scared that she got into something poisonous, but I have no idea what it could have been... I'm so careful about those things. We have no house plants. I have been taking pain medication recently for an abscessed tooth and I have one less than I thought I did but I do not remember dropping a pill or anything... again I am so careful about those things and I always make sure the lids are screwed on tight. I've looked around the house for anything, got on the floor with a flashlight and looked under shelves, etc. but don't see anything other than dust bunnies. My other cat and our dog are fine.

Any insight? Sorry this got pretty long, I'm just so worried and I wish he had done bloodwork. If she is not better tomorrow I may take her back?

opsmgh

Oh* - she never goes outside - totally an indoor cat. So is our other cat. Our dog is indoor too and only goes out to use the bathroom. She hasn't brought anything in or anything...

musac15

I would take her to another vet, perhaps an emergency vet. If any of my animals was acting that lethargic and sick, I'd have a terrible time sleeping tonight and would need to make sure they were ok..especially given the very small amount she's drank in the last 24 hours. Cats need water, and are very prone to renal failure (which is easy to pick up off of some blood tests, btw). 

My rule of thumb is, no matter what behavior problem I notice - if they've also missed more than 2 meals and have stopped drinking water...they need vet attention. And if I didn't get satisfactory answers at one vet, I'd go to another. 

I hope she's ok. Don't be afraid to "look crazy" by making another trip to another vet. I took our dog to three vets once, because I was dismissed by the first two - turns out she had gotten into a bunch of wood chips in DH's garage. She ended up having a seizure at the 3rd vets while we were there. 

Do what feels right to you. Only you know your kitty. If you're that worried about her, get a 2nd opinion. 

opsmgh

Thanks, musac. Luckily she seems to be feeling better & acting a little more like herself through the evening. She has come out and walked around a bit, even jumped on the couch next to me (after much coaxing), being affectionate, I even got her to play with one of her toys a little. Still not totally herself though, but less withdrawn. She ate a little more food and drank a tiiiiiny amount of water. 

She went back to the bathroom but has come back out again to be with me in the living room. 

To top things off, my other cat has been kind of mean to her since we got back from the vet

I think he smells the vet/other animals or maybe where she peed all over herself (she is kind of smelly now... not sure how I'm going to fix that but it hasn't been my #1 concern). I think he thinks she is another cat or something... but that is really bizaare. Anyway, it's really sad. She needs her buddy and he is hissing & growling at her and she is afraid to get close to him. Like just now I'm pretty sure she was approaching him to snuggle (the snuggle together when they sleep) and he is growling at her, so she is afraid to even move. Ugh! I'm so mad at my other cat!

opsmgh

Oh yeah, I am planning to take her to a different vet tomorrow if I see no more improvement. If nothing else just for routine bloodwork to ease our minds.

LuckyAngel07

If a cat does not eat/barely eats for as little as a day or two, they can develop hepatic lipidosis (it's a liver disease, and it becomes life threatening fast. If she's still barely eating, definitely take her to another vet.

Cats pick up on subtle things. A lot of people with 2 cats report that the one who stayed home while the other went to the vet will act "aggressive." It's because of the scents the other cat picked up while at the vet. 

And considering she peed on herself, I'd be giving her a bath. If you don't have pet shampoo, just use some dish soap. She shouldn't be wandering around the house and lying on furniture with residual pee on her.

rachelwf

I agree with musac15, NEVER be afraid to look crazy for a return trip to a doctor. My cat had her physical 2 months & was all good but the other day I gelt a lump on her belly. My husband couldn't really feel it (she has a thick shaggy coat) but we decided to go tothe vet for peace of mind--sure the they would say it was just fat, or a reaction to some medication.  She has a mammary tumor. Hopefully benign, and probably not there until the last few weeks. She gets surgery next week but we probably saved her life, at least for now. Nothing is too good for our cat, she is like a daughter to us.